Staring at the computer screen for a gazillion hours, bleary-eyed, while Googling your relaxing getaway can be enormously stressful. Wouldn't it be lovely if the Yoga-Fairy fluttered around the world, mindfully compiling the most exquisite retreats into a colorful book? One you could read in a cushiony velvet chair while sipping peppermint tea.

Publisher Angelika Taschen has done just that (minus the fairy part). Usually she creates lifestyle books, but this time her passion for Yoga inspired her to edit her first Yoga book. Kristin Rübesamen provides the text; in addition to being a published novelist she is also a senior Jivamukti teacher.

Along with lavish photos and flowery descriptions, there is also a practical section for each getaway, listing the low-down on: directions, type of Yoga, teachers, rooms, food, treatments, and recreation. Of the numerous getaways, what I found infinitely more intriguing than many of the already well-known ashrams that come as no surprise, were those off beat jewels, that Taschen has seemingly hand-picked just for our eyes, affording us a glimpse of their unique Yoga worlds.

Take, Il Convento, in Italy, for example. Who wouldn't want an excuse to flock to the serenity of Tuscany's sexy countryside? Two hours north of Florence, in an area known for its vineyards and chestnut forests, is a former convent, built in 1549, where for over three centuries it housed the nuns of Saint Marta (the patron saint of housekeeping and also painters and sculptors). With only 15 simple white-washed rooms, and a fireplace, it couldn't sound more intimate. Yoga is practiced in the wine cellar vault, and in the dinning room, Italian cuisine is served. And if that isn't irresistible enough, you may even be able to trim financial corners by staying as a working guest.

After blissing out on Yoga and meditation... want to learn exotic dances and cut loose until sunrise? Try Ibiza Moving Arts, Ibiza. Taschen says, one should pack a copy of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, in order to truly appreciate the tranquility of this 400-year-old Ibizan finca, where the aroma of mint and jasmine entwined on the walls magically lures you inside. In addition to intensive Hatha Yoga, you can also have a dip in the pool or go horseback riding. Evening time, dine on Mediterranean organic vegetarian cuisine, partake in music and dancing on the retreat... or venture into the village, and explore your seductive dance moves at the local clubs.

If tradition is what you seek, venture to India, where Taschen gives you an abundance of choices, like Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, situated in birthplace of yoga. Here a visitor can expect the usual: assana classes, readings and philosophy, but according to Taschen and Rübesamen, this spot is one of the best, and there are over a thousand places to sleep. Rübesamen writes, ‘"Your day concludes with "the Great spectacle," the chief guru of the ashram, swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, conducts Ganga Aarti, the fire ceremony. Swamiji doesn't just have strikingly beautiful eyes and a hot line to God: Every year he also organizes an impressive international Yoga festival in the ashram, at which the best-known Indian stars as well as those from the west assemble.

A book about Yoga getaways would be remiss without former hippie hangout, Esalen Institute located in Big Sur. Back in the sixties, Esalen Institute has attracted everyone from, Joan Baez, a universal beacon of peace, to journalist Hunter S. Thompson, a freewheeling symbol of anarchy. A few hours south of San Francisco, Esalen, is perched on a cliff above the crashing surf, and today it remains a sanctuary where one can readily explore the "human potential." Here you can delve into the complexities of Yoga with Srivatsa Ramaswami, who teaches how a sequence is formed by a single asana. Workshops are taught by world-renowned teachers such as Sean Corn and Shiva Rea, in subjects including Qigong Yoga and Tantric Alchemy. Often workshops fill up, but if there's enough room, you may utilize the center as a personal retreat, and take daily yoga classes, steam in the hot springs, or luxuriate with a Swedish massage.

Aside from not very relaxing fire-engine-red pages (pale blue would've been calmer), and mulling through the occasional meandering description, Great Yoga Retreats, is an immensely useful trip-planning tool. I especially appreciate that along with each pick, Taschen suggests site-specific books to pack, in order to fully experience the journey. Whether you're urgently researching a vacation, or merely escaping the massive stack of dishes piling up in your tiny Manhattan sink, Retreats is so lushly photographed that simply flipping through it, can feel like taking a deep yogic breath.